Organizations direct outreach to wounded

Published: Saturday, May 24, 2014 at 05:41 PM.

Since 2012, Hope for the Warriors has assisted more than 8,500 families. Earlier numbers are not recorded, according to Barnwell, although it is estimated that approximately 20,000 have been assisted.

Since inception, more than $20 million has been raised; and Barnwell estimates that roughly $18 million has gone to the organization’s programs. The remaining $2 million, she said, went to administrative costs, fundraising and accounting, which includes payroll for 44 full and part-time employees across the United States. The 10 people on the Hope for the Warriors board of directors are not paid.

Hope for the Warriors, according to Barnwell, has earned a Four-Star Rating with Charity Navigator three years in a row for “fiscal responsibility and accountability,” something that only 11 percent of nonprofits have earned, she said. In order to improve their rating, Barnwell said the organization will remain focused on its mission, ensure fiscal responsibility and be transparent in regards to their accounting.

“Hope for the Warriors is dedicated to restoring a sense of self, restoring the family unit and restoring hope for our service members and our military families,” Barnwell said.

Making a house a home

Fisher House, opened on June 24, 1991, in Bethesda, Maryland, during peacetime to serve the loved ones of service members and veterans facing medical crises due to illness, disease or injury. Now, during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, the 62 “comfort homes” opened across the United States provide a safe haven for families of those wounded or injured, according to C. Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Fisher House Foundation.

The 62 homes average between 5,000 and 16,000 square-feet in size and contain as many as 21 suites. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, dining room and living room complete with libraries and toys for children. The design, according to Campbell is to create an instant community for residents.

There are many nonprofit organizations in Onslow County tailored to the needs of service members and their families. A few of them further direct their outreach to the wounded.

Depending on the organization’s goals, assistance is available for housing, treatment, funding or transition — and earn overall high marks from charity watchdogs for how they provide it.

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund paid for the Intrepid Spirit aboard Camp Lejeune, a concussion recovery center staffed by civilian and military medical providers. Also aboard Camp Lejeune is the Fisher House, a house constructed and paid for by the Fisher House Foundation, which supports families of patients with room and board to alleviate stress during a time of crisis.

Semper Fi Fund, also a nationwide nonprofit, provides immediate financial assistance and lifetime support for injured and critically ill members of the Armed Forces and has a satellite station aboard Camp Lejeune. Housed alongside the Semper Fi Fund aboard Camp Lejeune is Hope for the Warriors, a non-profit focused on enhancing the quality of life for post-9/11 service members and their families.

Restoring a sense of hope

Founded in 2006 by military spouses aboard Camp Lejeune, Hope for the Warriors offers career transition and education, clinical health and wellness, sports and education as well as community and military relations, according to Anne Barnwell, spokeswoman for the organization. All programs, she said, are available to not only the service members but also their families. Specific programs include scholarships, family wellness and family reintegration.

Since 2012, Hope for the Warriors has assisted more than 8,500 families. Earlier numbers are not recorded, according to Barnwell, although it is estimated that approximately 20,000 have been assisted.

Since inception, more than $20 million has been raised; and Barnwell estimates that roughly $18 million has gone to the organization’s programs. The remaining $2 million, she said, went to administrative costs, fundraising and accounting, which includes payroll for 44 full and part-time employees across the United States. The 10 people on the Hope for the Warriors board of directors are not paid.

Hope for the Warriors, according to Barnwell, has earned a Four-Star Rating with Charity Navigator three years in a row for “fiscal responsibility and accountability,” something that only 11 percent of nonprofits have earned, she said. In order to improve their rating, Barnwell said the organization will remain focused on its mission, ensure fiscal responsibility and be transparent in regards to their accounting.

“Hope for the Warriors is dedicated to restoring a sense of self, restoring the family unit and restoring hope for our service members and our military families,” Barnwell said.

Making a house a home

Fisher House, opened on June 24, 1991, in Bethesda, Maryland, during peacetime to serve the loved ones of service members and veterans facing medical crises due to illness, disease or injury. Now, during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, the 62 “comfort homes” opened across the United States provide a safe haven for families of those wounded or injured, according to C. Campbell, a spokeswoman for the Fisher House Foundation.

The 62 homes average between 5,000 and 16,000 square-feet in size and contain as many as 21 suites. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, dining room and living room complete with libraries and toys for children. The design, according to Campbell is to create an instant community for residents.

Since 2000, more than 200,000 families have been assisted though 5.2 million days of lodging. In 2013, more than 21,000 families have been served with an average stay of 10 days. Families, Campbell estimates, have saved more than $35 million through the use of Fisher House. The foundation, she said, does not distribute grants, but rather, they purchase and operate Fisher Houses which average between $4.5 and $6 million each.

With a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, Fisher House directs 95 percent of all funds toward the houses, and its vision is to provide Fisher Houses to all Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Centers nationwide so they can assist veterans in their time of need, Campbell said. The organization has 22 paid employees nationwide, and no members of the leadership board are compensated monetarily.

“It is estimated that each 20-suite home added to the Fisher House network provides the capacity to assist another 600 families per year,” Campbell said. “We will continue to support our nation’s military, veterans and their families.”

Protecting resources

The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which was started in 2000, has provided close to $150 million in support for the families of military personnel who died in service and for severely wounded military personnel and veterans, according to Jody Fisher, a spokeswoman for the fund.

The fund, she said, runs solely off of donations from the public and has served “countless thousands” of military men and women as well as their families through direct grants and by constructing medical facilities that assist in the recovery and rehabilitation of those injured, she said.

Locally, aboard Camp Lejeune, the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund has constructed the Intrepid Spirit center which expands care for traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress patients with intake and clinical areas, physical therapy, a sleep lab, a park for relaxation and a family room for patients to spend time with their loved ones.

The fund has four full-time and three part-time paid employees. The 16 board members on the Board of Trustees, according to Fisher, are not paid. The fund, according to Fisher, has “consistently” received an A+ rating from Charity Watch and has every intention of remaining committed to the principles that have allowed the fund to maintain its rating.

“(Service members and veterans) are, in the words of our founder, the late Zachary Fisher, our nation’s greatest national resource, and they deserve all the help our nation can provide,” Fisher said. “Your service and sacrifice will be honored and your needs will be met.”

Always faithful to the cause

Established in 2004 by Karen Guenther, the Semper Fi Fund provides immediate financial assistance and support for injured and critically ill service members of the post-9/11 era. Services provided to service members include family support, adaptive housing and transportation, specialized equipment, education and career transitioning, transitioning camps, therapeutic arts, rehabilitative sports programs, a canine companion program and both post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury support, according to Madeline Schildwachter, a community manager with the fund.

To date, more than 11,500 service members, veterans and families have been assisted by the fund. Since inception, more than $120 million has been raised and more than $90 million has been distributed to those eligible for assistance. Schildwachter said that 94 cents of every dollar is used to assist service members, families and veterans. The other 6 percent of their funds is spent on accounting, donation processing, an annual audit, travel, legal services and overall support costs.

In the future, Semper Fi Fund sees traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress as a “lifelong process” and pledges to assist service members in their lengthy recoveries, according to Schildwachter. Across the globe, Semper Fi Fund has 70 paid employees and has received a Four Star charity rating from Charity Navigator as well as an A+ rating from Charity Watch. Though it cannot be improved upon, according to Schildwachter, the nonprofit will continue to “strive for excellence” to maintain the rating.

“We will remain focused on providing immediate and long-term assistance to those who need it most,” Schildwachter said. “…True to our name, we are always faithful to the men and women who bravely serve our country and they will never be forgotten.”

The Wounded Warrior Project, whose mission is to provide assistance to severely injured service members, according to its website, has a Three-Star Rating on Charity Navigator. A rating could not be found on Charity Watch. The Wounded Warrior Project did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Charity ratings at Charity Navigator are based on analysis of nonprofit financial documentation in hopes of giving donors and social investors the ability to make “intelligent giving decisions,” according to its website. Charity ratings at Charity Watch are determined by researching and evaluating the efficiency, accountability and governance of nonprofit organizations, according to its website.

- Hope for the Warriors has a Four-Star rating from Charity Navigator, which scored it 65.21 out of 70, noting that 82.3 percent of its funding goes toward its programs and services. To donate to Hope for the Warriors, visit hopeforthewarriors.org

-- The Fisher House has an A+ Rating from Charity Watch and a has a Four-Star rating from Charity Navigator, which scored it 69.62 out of 70, noting that 94.7 percent of its funding goes toward its programs and services. To donate to the Fisher House Foundation, visit fisherhouse.org

- The Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund has an A+ rating from Charity Watch. It does not have a rating from Charity Navigator. To donate to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, visit fallenheroesfund.org

- The Semper Fi Fund has an A+ rating from Charity Watch and a Four-Star rating from Charity Navigator, which scored it 67.80 out of 70, noting 94 percent of its funding goes toward its programs and services. To donate to the Semper Fi Fund, visit semperfifund.org

- The Wounded Warrior Project has a Three-Star rating from Charity Navigator, which scored it 54.39 out of 70, noting that 57.9 percent of its funding goes toward its programs and services. To donate to the Wounded Warrior Project, visit woundedwarriorproject.org